WOPA071101_D008 Gorgonian sea fans (various unidentified species) photographed in the waters of Raja Ampat Islands, West Papua, Indonesia. © Christopher J. Crowley
The vastness of our ocean has provided us with countless benefits, from literary inspiration to food to the very air we breathe. But its sheer scale is what makes protecting it one of the defining challenges of our time.
More than half of the world’s coral reefs have been lost, a third of its mangroves are gone, and 90% of global fish stocks are overfished or cannot sustain further pressure. We must do more to safeguard the ocean’s health and manage its fisheries better.
The science is clear: designating marine protected areas (MPAs) and transforming fisheries management are among the most effective ways to rebuild marine biodiversity, replenish fish stocks and strengthen our resilience to climate change. But doing both well requires reliable, timely data—something that has historically been difficult and expensive to obtain, particularly in remote or resource-constrained settings.
Protection works, but only when it is done right. MPAs are more than lines on a map. To meet the global goal of protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030, protection must be meaningful: clear management plans, sustainable financing, monitoring, accountability and the active partnership of Indigenous peoples and local communities in design, management and long-term benefit.
The same is true for fisheries. Stocks can recover through sound policies, effective enforcement, and cooperation among countries and industry. But both MPAs and fisheries management share a common bottleneck: labor-intensive monitoring that makes it difficult to act at the speed and scale the ocean demands.
A bold new approach
This is the challenge the Global Ocean Innovation Challenge was built to address.
Launched by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and venture platform Newlab, the Challenge sourced ideas from technology innovators worldwide and aligned them with real-world ocean conservation needs. Rather than developing technology in isolation, the program connects cutting-edge solutions directly with the priorities of the communities and governments managing marine resources on the ground.
Through an open call that attracted applications from across Asia Pacific, the Americas, Europe and Africa, TNC and Newlab identified a cohort of startups whose technologies address critical data and monitoring gaps in two priority areas: marine protected areas and large-scale fisheries.
“At Newlab, we help critical technology startups address complex, system-level challenges, including the long-term sustainability of ocean ecosystems. Through our work with TNC, we are bringing together entrepreneurs, governments and local stakeholders to accelerate the path from concept to deployment, while building the regional infrastructure and partnerships needed to scale these solutions,” said Garrett Winther, Chief Product Officer, Newlab.
From idea to impact
The Challenge is now moving from discovery to action. Selected startups are preparing to deploy through field pilots in Indonesia—one of the most biodiverse marine regions on Earth—working alongside TNC’s longstanding partner in Indonesia, Yayasan Konservasi Alam Nusantara (YKAN) and local partners to test solutions in real-world conditions.
“Indonesia lies at the heart of global marine biodiversity, but protecting vast and remote marine ecosystems at scale requires new approaches and stronger collaboration. As Indonesia advances its commitment to expanding its MPAs to 97.5 million hectares—equivalent to 30 percent of its marine waters—by 2045, technology will play an increasingly important role in helping address challenges such as illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, strengthening marine protected area management, and improving the availability of data across remote coastal regions. Through GOIC, we hope to help surface practical, locally grounded innovations that can support the Government of Indonesia through the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP), alongside coastal communities and conservation partners, in advancing more effective and inclusive ocean stewardship,” says Ilman Muhammad, Director of Ocean Program, YKAN.
Each pilot is evaluated not only on ecological impact, but on operational viability and its potential to scale. Together, they will inform a scale-up strategy developed from the ground up—drawing on frontline experience in Indonesia and the global expertise of technologists, conservation leaders and philanthropic partners—to drive widespread adoption across Southeast Asia, Oceania and beyond.
Stay Connected
To stay informed as the Global Ocean Innovation Challenge evolves, please contact Ahmad Baihaki, Global Ocean Innovation Challenge Advisor, at oceanchallenge@tnc.org.
Newsroom
Three Technology Pilots Selected
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